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At its 18th Annual Image Awards on October 2, OCA-Greater Los Angeles bestowed its Community Service Award to outgoing FCC president Jeri Okamoto Floyd.

OCA, a national organization dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans, recognized Jeri’s leadership in guiding FCC–Los Angeles from a fledgling chapter to a thriving nonprofit charitable organization. Jeri helped integrate the FCC adoption community with the broader Asian Pacific American community by establishing cultural interactive programs such as the award-winning FCC-SoCal/China Care Bruins Buddy Program, which pairs FCC kids (6 to teens) with UCLA student mentors for monthly activities.

Other highlights of the evening included: the elegant and talented emcee actress Tamlyn Tomita (of Joy Luck Club fame); presenter Karen Chau, creator of Ni-Hao, Kai-lan; and the presence of the first Chinese-American U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu. This year’s other honorees were California Controller John Chiang (Political Achievement Award); Bill Watanabe & Little Tokyo Service Center (Community Achievement Award); and, Southwest Airlines (Corporate Achievement Award).

The honorees’ accomplishments were not lost on the attentive FCC youth present that night. The youth table, the first at an OCA dinner, represented the future leaders of both our organization and the broader Asian-American community.

Congratulations on your award, Jeri!